US8886701B1 - Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access - Google Patents
Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US8886701B1 US8886701B1 US10/195,877 US19587702A US8886701B1 US 8886701 B1 US8886701 B1 US 8886701B1 US 19587702 A US19587702 A US 19587702A US 8886701 B1 US8886701 B1 US 8886701B1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- network
- client
- document
- agent
- dynamic resource
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active, expires
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/01—Protocols
- H04L67/10—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F9/00—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units
- G06F9/06—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
- G06F9/46—Multiprogramming arrangements
- G06F9/50—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
- G06F9/5005—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU] to service a request
- G06F9/5027—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU] to service a request the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
- G06F9/5055—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU] to service a request the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L47/00—Traffic control in data switching networks
- H04L47/70—Admission control; Resource allocation
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/50—Network services
- H04L67/51—Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to the field of computer networking.
- embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for providing network resources to network connected client.
- Computer and data communications networks continue to proliferate due to declining costs, increasing performance of computer and networking equipment, and increasing demand for communication bandwidth.
- Communications networks including wide area networks (“WANs”) and local area networks (“LANs”)—allow increased productivity and utilization of distributed computers or stations through the sharing of resources, the transfer of voice and data, and the processing of voice, data and related information at the most efficient locations.
- WANs wide area networks
- LANs local area networks
- network applications such as electronic mail, voice and data transfer, host access, and shared and distributed databases are increasingly used as a means to increase user productivity. This increased demand, together with the growing number of distributed computing resources, has resulted in a rapid expansion of the number of installed networks.
- Ethernet As the demand for networks has grown, network technology has grown to include many different physical configurations. Examples include Ethernet, Token Ring, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (“FDDI”), Fibre Channel, and InfiniBand networks. These and the many other types of networks that have been developed typically utilize different cabling systems, different bandwidths and typically transmit data at different speeds. In addition, each of the different network types have different sets of standards, referred to as protocols, which set forth the rules for accessing the network and for communicating among the resources on the network. Historically, a majority of installed networks utilize a wire-based communications medium. That is, the interconnections between computers and peripherals are accomplished with elaborate wire and cable-based connection systems. Depending on the size and type of network involved, the cost, installation, maintenance and upgrading of such networks is quite complex and requires sophisticated skills. Moreover, even the physical space needed for today's wire-based network systems can be prohibitive.
- wireless communications provides a number of advantages, including the elimination of complex, expensive, and inconvenient wire and cable-based connections.
- IEEE 802.11 Two popular examples are known as IEEE 802.11 and “Bluetooth.” Both standards use low power radio frequencies to allow communication between various devices such as mobile phones, laptop and desktop computers, printers, modems, PDAs, and the like.
- Bluetooth technology was originally envisioned for the purpose of replacing cabling and other hard-wired connection schemes used to connect auxiliary devices to a desktop or laptop computer.
- Bluetooth has further evolved into a method of sending both data and voice signals between a wide range of devices.
- a Bluetooth-enabled PDA could be configured to automatically connect to a Bluetooth-enabled communications link to an established network within a building, therefore gaining wireless access to computing resources such as printers, Internet portals, etc.
- 802.11 transceivers provide the ability to create a wireless connection between a computer-device and other 802.11 enabled devices, such as a wireless hub connected to an existing local area network.
- 802.11 equipped devices can exist as a node on a local area network, yet does not require a physical connection to the network.
- this wireless attachment scheme allows a user—especially a user of a mobile computing device—to maintain a network connection even while physically moving, for example between offices.
- Such wireless schemes provide the ability to connect any one of a number of computing devices to a standard wire-based LAN that would normally require some form of wired connection, such as an Ethernet network interface card (NIC) and cable. Consequently, as this wireless technology becomes more prevalent, it has become increasingly important to seamlessly integrate wireless communication devices with traditional wired-based networks.
- NIC Ethernet network interface card
- one obstacle typically encountered when integrating a wireless computing device within an existing, wire-based legacy network relates to the proper software configuration of the device.
- each individual computing device within a given network is configured with particular software applications and drivers that allow it to, for example, communicate with other devices, utilize the network resources, etc.
- a user with a portable computing device needs to connect to a new network so as to access a printer, the user may first have to download the appropriate drivers and/or applications. This exercise is typically outside of the skill set of most users. Moreover, the portable computing device may not even have the memory or storage space available for the required drivers and applications. Consequently, it is often difficult, if not impossible for all practical purposes, for mobile computers to efficiently utilize the resources of foreign networks.
- the configuration of a computing device for different network environments.
- the configuration would be substantially automatic and transparent to the user, and occurs in a manner that does not require significant software resources to be downloaded to the computing device client.
- Such a solution would allow wireless and mobile users, for example, to easily move between networks, and yet have consistent access to the network's resources. Moreover, such an approach would not require any specialized skills or knowledge on the part of the user.
- embodiments of the invention pertain to systems and methods that enable a client computing device to be connected to a foreign computer network and in a manner so as to be capable of utilizing network resources within the network. Moreover, this capability is provided even where the client does not possess the various applications and drivers that would otherwise be needed to directly interface with the corresponding network resources, such as a printer.
- a personal digital assistant wirelessly connects to a foreign Ethernet network via a wireless access point, and is able to print a document without having to first download the specific printer driver, or, in some embodiments, even the specific application that is used to open the document.
- access to the network services are preferably provided in a manner that is substantially transparent to the user of the client device.
- the present invention is implemented in the form of a dynamic resource locater configured as a software agent.
- the software agent is stored on a given network, such as a local area network (LAN), so that it can communicate with a computing device that connects to the network via a network access points, such as a wireless access point.
- LAN local area network
- a client computing device When a client computing device establishes a data connection to the network, it is configured so as to “request” a dynamic resource locater agent.
- the responding dynamic resource locater agent informs the client of any available network resources on the network by, for example, displaying them via a dynamic resource locater interface application executing at the client.
- the dynamic resource locater interface on the client also preferably provides the client with the ability to request that a particular “task” be performed by the dynamic resource locater agent.
- the requested task typically involves the services of at least one of the network resources available on the network.
- a network resource can include network software applications (such as an Internet portal) and/or network hardware devices (such as a printer or a modem) that are hosted by and available via the network.
- the dynamic resource locater agent functions so as to physically execute the task on behalf of the requesting client. If there are multiple network resources available to perform the task, the dynamic resource locater agent will simply associate with a network resource based upon predetermined criteria. For example, criteria may specify that the locater agent select the resource that is physically closest, or that is not already processing another request, etc.
- the dynamic resource locater agent may request additional information/data from the computing device client.
- the locater agent may request that the client provide the location of documents pertaining to a requested print operation.
- a location can be provided via any appropriate manner, such as in the form of an IP address or related unique network address such that the dynamic resource locater can then obtain the document(s) and proceed to execute the task—such as a print.
- the dynamic resource locater agent will next download or otherwise obtain a copy of any documents pertaining to the task (print operation), and then allocate the proper network based program (e.g., print driver and word processing application) to perform the requested task (e.g., print operation).
- the proper network based program e.g., print driver and word processing application
- the dynamic resource locater will execute the task utilizing the proper network based program. In preferred embodiments, the dynamic resource locater will inform the client upon completion of the task and the location of any output materials.
- a computing device such as a wireless enabled portable computer
- the client can then, via the services of this agent, identify and request the services of various network resources, such as printers, modems, databases, software applications and the like.
- the dynamic resource locater provides the corresponding computational resources on behalf of the client. As such, there is no need to download and install device drivers and the like on the client. This greatly simplifies the process for the user of the client device, and also minimizes the computational resources needed for the task on the part of the client.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary processing system that provides a suitable operating environment for embodiments of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an example of a computer network environment in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention find application;
- FIG. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram illustrating the functional implementation of one presently preferred embodiment of a network environment with an example of a dynamic resource locater agent in relation to a client and the network;
- FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a presently preferred embodiment of the process steps for implementing the dynamic resource locater agent that provides a client with the ability to utilize various network resources without downloading additional applications and/or drivers;
- FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating one presently preferred embodiment of the process steps followed executed at a client for interacting with a dynamic resource locater agent process of the sort illustrated in FIG. 4 .
- the present invention relates to systems and methods that enable a computing device (sometimes referred to as a client), such as a portable computer, to access a network and utilize network resources without the need for downloading drivers or applications pertaining to the relevant network resources.
- a computing device sometimes referred to as a client
- a dynamic resource locater agent preferably implemented via software executing on a programmable device on the network, is configured to accept a “task” from a client. The task is then performed under the control of the dynamic resource locater agent, which utilizes the necessary software application and/or network hardware resources within the network.
- Preferred embodiments of the system and method provide a number of advantages not previously available with prior art solutions.
- the approach greatly increases the flexibility of a computing device that requires access to, and use of, different network environments and network resources, such as a portable computer having wireless access capabilities that moves from network to network.
- Embodiments of the invention allow the computer to connect to the network and utilize the network resources available within each network yet does so without the need for complex reconfiguration steps otherwise needed in prior art solutions.
- a user with a portable computer having wireless access capabilities may be present within a building, such as a hotel, having a wireless access point to a wire-based local area network.
- the user's computer may not be configured with the appropriate network software and/or device drivers for interacting with resources on this particular foreign network.
- the user would first have to be configured with relevant software and drivers.
- this type of configuration process is complex and time consuming, and also takes up computer resources that may not be available.
- the user may access network resources without having to undergo such a configuration process.
- network resources For example, if the user wants to send a fax via a facsimile machine connected to the network, embodiments of the present invention allows the portable computer device to access the new network and utilize the services of a network resource—here a facsimile machine. Moreover, the service is provided without the need for downloading relevant driver software and/or other configuration steps.
- FIG. 1 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of an example of a suitable computing environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented.
- embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by computers operating within network environments.
- program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
- Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of the program code means for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein.
- the particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps.
- embodiments of the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including personal computers, hand-held devices, mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.
- PDAs personal digital assistants
- the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where local and remote processing devices are linked (either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination of hardwired or wireless links) through a communications network and both the local and remote processing devices perform tasks.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for implementing embodiments of the invention that includes a general-purpose computing device, one example of which is shown in the form of a conventional computer 120 .
- Computer 120 includes a processing unit 121 , a system memory 122 , and a system bus 123 that couples various system components including the system memory 122 to the processing unit 121 .
- the system bus 123 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.
- the system memory includes read only memory (ROM) 124 and random access memory (RAM) 125 .
- a basic input/output system (BIOS) 126 containing the basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the computer 120 , such as during start-up, may be stored in ROM 124 .
- BIOS basic input/output system
- the computer 120 may also include a magnetic hard disk drive 127 for reading from and writing to a magnetic hard disk 139 , a magnetic disk drive 128 for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk 129 , and/or an optical disk drive 130 for reading from or writing to removable optical disk 131 such as a CD-ROM or other optical media.
- the magnetic hard disk drive 127 , magnetic disk drive 128 , and optical disk drive 130 are connected to the system bus 123 by a hard disk drive interface 132 , a magnetic disk drive-interface 133 , and an optical drive interface 134 , respectively.
- the drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 120 .
- other types of computer readable media for storing data can be used, including magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, and the like.
- Program code means comprising one or more program modules may be stored on the hard disk 139 , magnetic disk 129 , optical disk 131 , ROM 124 and/or RAM 125 . Examples include an operating system 135 , one or more application programs 136 , other program modules 137 , and program data 138 .
- a user may enter commands and information into the computer 120 through keyboard 140 , pointing device 142 , or other input devices (not shown), such as a microphone, joy stick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 121 through a serial port interface 146 coupled to system bus 123 .
- the input devices may be connected by other interfaces, such as a wireless interface, a parallel port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) and the like.
- a monitor 147 or another display device is also connected to system bus 123 via an interface, such as video adapter 148 .
- some computers may include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers.
- the computer 120 may be operatively connected to a networked environment, an example of which is designated in FIG. 1 as network 155 .
- network 155 may be used to connect computer 120 to any one of a number of different network resources, such as other remote computers, which may be personal computers, servers, routers, network PCs, peer devices or other common network nodes, and typically include many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 120 .
- Such computing devices may also provide a variety of network resources, such as various applications.
- other network resources may be present on the network, such as printers, modems, facsimile machines, other network equipment (switches, hubs, access points, etc.) and the like.
- Examples of various logical connections to network 155 are depicted in FIG. 1 include a wireless network 167 , a local area network (LAN) 161 , and a wide area network (WAN) 163 .
- Each of the logical connections 167 , 161 , 163 represent a different way for the computer 120 to connect to the network 155 .
- actual connection to the corresponding network is facilitated by a network interface device operatively connected to the computer.
- the wireless network 167 may utilize radio frequencies, microwaves, infrared light, etc. to transmit signals via the wireless interface 156 to the network 155 .
- Connection to the LAN 161 is accomplished via a hard-wired network interface device, such as that represented at network interface 153 .
- the WAN 163 utilizes a modem 154 to decode the signals and a standard telephone line, wireless telephone line, coaxial cable, or fiber optic cable to transmit the signals from the serial port interface 146 to the networks 155 .
- a modem 154 to decode the signals
- a standard telephone line, wireless telephone line, coaxial cable, or fiber optic cable to transmit the signals from the serial port interface 146 to the networks 155 .
- Such networking environments are commonplace in office-wide or enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
- the wireless interface 156 could be implemented as a short range radio transceiver that preferably utilizes low power radio frequencies to transmit information over relatively short distances.
- the wireless interface could be implemented as a Bluetooth or an 802.11 radio transceiver module.
- the wireless interface 156 could be used to wirelessly connect the computer 120 to a wide range of external devices, computing devices, networks, etc.
- a Bluetooth module may be connected to the computer 120 to allow for a wireless connection between the computer 120 and a PDA 158 similarly equipped with a Bluetooth module.
- the wireless interface 156 can connect to devices that typically use other interfaces when communicating with the computer 120 .
- keyboards are typically connected to the computer 120 via the serial port interface 146 , but may also be connected with a Bluetooth module.
- the wireless interface 156 typically includes a protocol that is capable of emulating a standard interface communication sequence, such as a serial port.
- a serial port For example, in a Bluetooth system, the RFCOMM protocol can be used to create virtual serial ports so that serial devices can be wirelessly connected to the computer 120 via the wireless interface 156 without extensive manipulation of existing software drivers, application software, etc.
- wireless transceiver module 156 in FIG. 1 is implemented in accordance with the 802.11 wireless standard.
- the 802.11 transceiver device 156 is configured with a radio that can transmit and receive signals on a particular frequency band.
- the device is typically programmable, and is configured with software to process and route wireless signals.
- This software is implemented as a protocol stack, which is comprised of functional components that are organized within adjacent layers to form a logical stack.
- certain of the components of the stack reside within the host device (such as computer 120 ) memory and are executed by the host processor ( 121 in FIG. 1 ), and other components of the stack are stored and executed at the 802.11 module itself (e.g., 156 in FIG. 1 ).
- FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of an example of a computer network environment, designated generally at 200 , in which can be used embodiments of the present invention.
- the computer network 200 contains two subnets designated generally at 202 and 204 .
- a subnet is a portion of a network that has a unique IP address and that is controlled by an independent server.
- Subnet 1 202 is controlled by gateway and server 207 which is also connected to the Internet 205 .
- Subnet 1 202 contains various hardware devices (network resources) that can be used by any appropriately configured computer connected to the network 200 .
- such hardware devices include a FAX machine 208 , a scanner 227 , a modem 219 and a printer 213 .
- These devices are connected to the gateway and server 207 in different ways to illustrate some of the different network architectures typically present in computer networks.
- hardware devices can be connected to a server directly if they contain a network interface card or they can be connected indirectly through another device that contains a network interface card.
- the FAX machine 208 in the computer network 200 illustrates a device connected directly to the server, whereas the modem 219 and the printer 213 illustrate hardware devices connected indirectly to a server.
- subnet 2 204 is controlled by server 229 and contains the hardware device printer # 2 231 .
- Both subnets also contain a wireless access point, designated at 221 and 235 , that each allow an appropriately configured wireless computing device (such as PDA device 237 in FIG. 2 ) to connect to the computer network 200 in the same way a computer would connect to a network with a standard wired interface, such as an Ethernet network interface card (NIC) and cable arrangement.
- NIC Ethernet network interface card
- a computing device such as PDA 237
- PDA 237 is able to connect to a wireless access point, such as those designated at 221 and 235 , and gain access to and utilize any of the network resources, such as the various hardware devices previously described.
- access is provided in a manner that does not require the PDA 237 user to download software device drivers pertaining to the individual hardware devices, and thus does not require any associated reconfiguration of the PDA device 237 .
- this functionality is provided via computer software, partially implemented as a software agent executing on a programmable device on the network, and partially implemented as client software executing on the client device, here the PDA 237 .
- agent is used herein to refer to a program located on the computer network for the purpose of serving the client.
- client is used herein to describe a computer device connected to the network that wishes to utilize one or more of the hardware devices within the network.
- the client when the client connects to the computer network 200 , for example via a wireless connection or a standard wired connection, the client requests the assistance of an agent. This request can be performed automatically by configuring software on the client to send out a specific data packet over the computer network.
- the agent Upon receiving the request, the agent will inform the client of the available network resources within the network.
- available network resources might include a FAX machine 208 , a printer 213 , a modem 219 , a scanner 227 , and a printer # 2 231 .
- this information is displayed via a suitable interface provided via the client application at the PDA 237 .
- the services of a particular network resource may be requested via the client software via a task request, which is forwarded to the agent so as to invoke the services of the resource.
- a task could be to print or fax a document that is located on the client computing device (here, the PDA 237 ).
- the particular methodology used in one presently preferred embodiment for this process of requesting and performing a task will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .
- FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified functional block diagram of a network environment, designated generally at 300 , showing the location of one embodiment of an agent, referred to as a “dynamic resource locater agent,” designated at 325 in relation to a client, designated at 315 .
- the client 315 is illustrated as preferably comprising an application group 305 and a dynamic resource locater client interface (DRLCI) 310 .
- the application group 305 represents one or more high level applications that originate tasks that require the use of a network resource.
- a word processor application might originate a task to print a particular document on a printer that is available on the network 300 as a resource.
- an application may not necessarily be physically located at the client device. Indeed, the application itself could be a network resource.
- an application could be executed on the Internet 335 such that it appears to the user of the client 315 that it is being executed at the client 315 .
- the DRLCI 310 is implemented as a client interface to the dynamic resource locater agent 325 located within the computer network.
- the DRLCI 310 preferably provides the functional interface with the dynamic resource locater agent 325 in a manner such that applications within the application group 305 do not necessarily need to be aware of which network resource/hardware device will perform a task, or even that the network resource is remotely connected via a network.
- the client 315 is connected to a computer network 330 via some form of network interface 320 .
- network interfaces can include wireless and wired network interface arrangements such as those commonly used for 802.11, Bluetooth and Ethernet networks and the like.
- the dynamic resource locater agent 325 communicates directly with the DRLCI 310 to provide the application group 305 with access to various resources 340 within the network. This dynamic access is accomplished by allocating appropriate network based programs or device drivers needed to perform the particular tasks requested by an application.
- the task request is made via the DRLCI 310 , and the dynamic resource locater agent 325 could route the document to the appropriate device driver to utilize a printer network resource for printing the document.
- the dynamic resource locater agent 325 can also execute tasks requiring the use of documents located at specific locations on the Internet 335 rather than on the client or the network.
- FIG. 4 is a flow chart, designated generally at 400 , illustrating one presently preferred embodiment of the logical steps used to implement the functionality of the dynamic resource locater agent 325 of FIG. 3 .
- these steps are implemented via executable program steps that execute on an appropriate programmable device on the network.
- the programmable device can be an appropriate computing device, such as described in FIG. 1 , and can be implemented via a network computer, an wireless access point, a network switch, etc.
- the dynamic resource locater agent initially monitors the network to determine if a new client is requesting the assistance of an agent 410 .
- This monitoring can be done, for example, by monitoring the receipt of data packets traveling within the computer network to see if they match a predetermined agent request notification. If a client does request an agent, the dynamic resource locater agent will contact the client and inform it of the available resources within the network, as is shown at program step 420 . This information can be actually displayed at the client via the client interface program (such as the DRLCI 310 illustrated in FIG. 3 ) executing at the located on the client, and/or merely stored in a memory location at the client. The agent will then await receipt of a task request from the client requiring the use of at least one of the network resources within the network, as is represented at program step 430 .
- the client interface program such as the DRLCI 310 illustrated in FIG. 3
- This task could originate, for example, via a request from an application executing at the client (e.g., a word processor requesting a print operation). Alternatively, a task request could originate from an application that is actually executed at another network location, such as an application executing at the Internet.
- the dynamic resource locater agent will then determine if there is at least one network resource on the network available to perform the task 440 . If not, the agent will preferably inform the client that there are no network resources available to perform the requested task and simply revert back to awaiting receipt of the next task at step 430 .
- the agent will proceed to program step 450 to determine whether there are multiple network resources available to perform the task. If there are multiple network resources available, the dynamic locater agent will choose a network resource based upon a predetermined criterion, as represented at program step 460 .
- the basis upon which a resource is selected could include any one of a number of criteria, including physical proximity, the speed of a network resource, available network bandwidth, etc.
- the dynamic resource locater agent proceeds to program step 470 where it will receive the location of any document(s) pertaining to the requested task, and then download the document(s) 470 .
- the term “document” is meant to convey the particular object for which the resource is being utilized.
- the object may not actually be a document.
- the document(s) here may be an actual document that is being printed, faxed, etc.
- the document(s) may be actually physically stored at the client device, elsewhere on the network, or even on the Internet.
- a location would preferably include a specific IP address.
- the location of the document may be identified via any other appropriate address identifier.
- a browsing function could be incorporated into the client to find and select the document rather than entering a location.
- processing then continues at program step 480 , where the dynamic resource locater agent will automatically allocate the proper network based program to perform the requested task. For example, if the task is to print a particular document, the dynamic resource locater agent would automatically allocate a device driver corresponding to a printer that is capable of printing the document. If the task is to simply view a particular document, the dynamic resource locater agent will automatically allocate an application that is capable of displaying the particular document.
- the allocation of the proper network based program is performed by initially analyzing the task o determine what type of network based program is appropriate for that task. Secondly, the characteristics of any documents (or similar object) necessary to complete the task are analyzed to determine if they require a specific program to be understood.
- the dynamic resource locater agent will then execute the network based program utilizing the chosen network resource to complete the task, as is indicated at program step 490 .
- the dynamic resource locater agent will notify the client upon completion of the task, as is indicated at program step 495 .
- FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart, designated generally at 500 , showing one presently preferred embodiment of the program steps that can be used to implement the client application, including the DRLCI function 310 in FIG. 3 .
- the client application is preferably implemented via software comprised of executable instructions that are capable of execution on a suitable programmable device at the client host, illustrated in FIG. 2 as a PDA device.
- the programmable device used to execute the instructions could be that of the host itself (e.g., such as the processing unit 121 of the PDA, computer, etc.), or by a processor present on the corresponding network interface device (such as 153 or 156 in FIG. 1 ).
- the client first initiates a connection to a foreign network.
- the connection can be made over any suitable network interface device to any corresponding network type.
- the network interface can connect via a wired connection, or via a wireless connection such as 802.11, or Bluetooth.
- the client requests the assistance of a dynamic resource locater agent present on the network. This request can be made by sending out into the network a particular broadcast data packet configured to be received by a node that is executing the dynamic resource locater agent software function.
- the client can request that the agent provide information about what network resources are available on the network.
- the client can then subsequently request that an appropriate “task” be performed by the agent on behalf of the client, as is indicated at program step 540 .
- the specific request could be at the behest of an application executing at the client device (e.g., a word processing application, Internet browser, spreadsheet application, etc.), or could be made directly by the user via an interface provided by the client DRLC function.
- the specific process followed may also vary depending on the nature of the task requested. For example, in the illustrated process where the task involves a document/file (printing, faxing, etc.), the client will submit the location of a document involved in the task, as designated at program step 550 .
- the physical storage location of the document could be at client device itself (which, in the example is a PDA device), another storage location on the network, or even on a remote network location such as the Internet.
- the client may receive some output from the agent at the completion of the task. For example, the agent may supply to the client an indication that the requested task has been completed, the location of a printer for a print operation, or any other appropriate output for the given task.
- the present invention provides a number of benefits and advantages over the prior art.
- it allows a computing device to easily access network resources in a manner that does not require complex device reconfiguration and setup operations.
- the computing device is able to can request the services of particular network resources via a software agent present on the network.
- the software agent then acts as a proxy on behalf of the client in a manner that such that the services of a network resource are provided to the client.
- access to the services are preferably provided transparently; to the user of the device, network devices appear as if they are connected directly to the client computing device.
- a user can connect to the foreign network and have immediate access to the resources of the network.
Abstract
Description
Claims (10)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/195,877 US8886701B1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2002-07-15 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
US14/536,366 US20150067022A1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2014-11-07 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/195,877 US8886701B1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2002-07-15 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/536,366 Continuation US20150067022A1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2014-11-07 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US8886701B1 true US8886701B1 (en) | 2014-11-11 |
Family
ID=51845896
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/195,877 Active 2027-12-15 US8886701B1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2002-07-15 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
US14/536,366 Abandoned US20150067022A1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2014-11-07 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/536,366 Abandoned US20150067022A1 (en) | 2002-07-15 | 2014-11-07 | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US8886701B1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2017172651A1 (en) * | 2016-03-30 | 2017-10-05 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Selecting an autonomous software agent |
Families Citing this family (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9977697B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2018-05-22 | Google Llc | Task management system for a modular electronic device |
US10282233B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2019-05-07 | Google Llc | Modular electronic devices with prediction of future tasks and capabilities |
US10025636B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2018-07-17 | Google Llc | Modular electronic devices with contextual task management and performance |
US10127052B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2018-11-13 | Google Llc | Connection device for a modular computing system |
US10129085B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2018-11-13 | Google Llc | Determining network configurations for a modular computing entity |
US9990235B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2018-06-05 | Google Llc | Determining tasks to be performed by a modular entity |
Citations (86)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5283887A (en) | 1990-12-19 | 1994-02-01 | Bull Hn Information Systems Inc. | Automatic document format conversion in an electronic mail system based upon user preference |
JPH0677994A (en) | 1992-08-28 | 1994-03-18 | Fuji Xerox Co Ltd | Network corresponding print processing system |
US5406557A (en) | 1993-02-01 | 1995-04-11 | National Semiconductor Corporation | Interenterprise electronic mail hub |
US5418908A (en) | 1992-10-15 | 1995-05-23 | International Business Machines Corporation | System for automatically establishing a link between an electronic mail item and a remotely stored reference through a place mark inserted into the item |
US5436960A (en) | 1991-05-20 | 1995-07-25 | Campana, Jr.; Thomas J. | Electronic mail system with RF communications to mobile processors and method of operation thereof |
EP0772327A2 (en) | 1995-11-06 | 1997-05-07 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Electronic mail forwarding system |
US5781901A (en) | 1995-12-21 | 1998-07-14 | Intel Corporation | Transmitting electronic mail attachment over a network using a e-mail page |
EP0855821A1 (en) | 1997-01-16 | 1998-07-29 | AT&T Corp. | Methods and apparatus for providing universal readability of electronic mail attachments |
EP0864964A2 (en) | 1997-03-13 | 1998-09-16 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Printer driver switching in windows operating systems |
EP0872792A2 (en) | 1997-04-17 | 1998-10-21 | Adobe Systems, Inc. | Network communication with printing systems |
US5838252A (en) | 1996-09-09 | 1998-11-17 | Datalink Systems, Inc. | Interactive two-way pager systems |
US5844969A (en) | 1997-01-23 | 1998-12-01 | At&T Corp. | Communication system, method and device for remotely re-transmitting received electronic mail directed to a destination terminal to a new destination terminal |
EP0898410A2 (en) | 1997-08-21 | 1999-02-24 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image communication system using electronic mail and control method therefor |
US5903723A (en) | 1995-12-21 | 1999-05-11 | Intel Corporation | Method and apparatus for transmitting electronic mail attachments with attachment references |
US5905777A (en) | 1996-09-27 | 1999-05-18 | At&T Corp. | E-mail paging system |
US5937162A (en) | 1995-04-06 | 1999-08-10 | Exactis.Com, Inc. | Method and apparatus for high volume e-mail delivery |
US5958006A (en) | 1995-11-13 | 1999-09-28 | Motorola, Inc. | Method and apparatus for communicating summarized data |
US5964833A (en) | 1997-02-07 | 1999-10-12 | Datalink Systems Corp. | Pager enhanced keyboard and system |
EP0950969A2 (en) | 1998-04-17 | 1999-10-20 | Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc. | Method and system for out-tasking conversions of message attachments |
US5974449A (en) | 1997-05-09 | 1999-10-26 | Carmel Connection, Inc. | Apparatus and method for providing multimedia messaging between disparate messaging platforms |
US5978837A (en) | 1996-09-27 | 1999-11-02 | At&T Corp. | Intelligent pager for remotely managing E-Mail messages |
US5995597A (en) | 1997-01-21 | 1999-11-30 | Woltz; Robert Thomas | E-mail processing system and method |
EP0965908A2 (en) | 1998-06-19 | 1999-12-22 | Nec Corporation | Printer controller |
US6023700A (en) | 1997-06-17 | 2000-02-08 | Cranberry Properties, Llc | Electronic mail distribution system for integrated electronic communication |
US6035104A (en) | 1996-06-28 | 2000-03-07 | Data Link Systems Corp. | Method and apparatus for managing electronic documents by alerting a subscriber at a destination other than the primary destination |
US6073165A (en) | 1997-07-29 | 2000-06-06 | Jfax Communications, Inc. | Filtering computer network messages directed to a user's e-mail box based on user defined filters, and forwarding a filtered message to the user's receiver |
US6144997A (en) * | 1994-06-27 | 2000-11-07 | Xerox Corporation | System and method for accessing and distributing electronic documents |
US6160631A (en) | 1997-05-14 | 2000-12-12 | Brother Kogya Kabushiki Kaisha | Printing system |
US6182059B1 (en) | 1997-04-03 | 2001-01-30 | Brightware, Inc. | Automatic electronic message interpretation and routing system |
US6195677B1 (en) * | 1997-06-03 | 2001-02-27 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Distributed network computing system for data exchange/conversion between terminals |
US6201611B1 (en) * | 1997-11-19 | 2001-03-13 | International Business Machines Corporation | Providing local printing on a thin client |
WO2001022259A2 (en) | 1999-09-20 | 2001-03-29 | Fusionone, Inc. | Transferring e-mail attachments to devices for rendering |
JP2001084191A (en) | 1999-09-14 | 2001-03-30 | Fuji Xerox Co Ltd | Method and device for supporting document output |
EP1089543A1 (en) | 1999-09-29 | 2001-04-04 | Sagem S.A. | Simplified facsimile for the internet |
US6219694B1 (en) | 1998-05-29 | 2001-04-17 | Research In Motion Limited | System and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device having a shared electronic address |
US6230200B1 (en) * | 1997-09-08 | 2001-05-08 | Emc Corporation | Dynamic modeling for resource allocation in a file server |
US6256666B1 (en) | 1998-07-14 | 2001-07-03 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and system for remotely managing electronic mail attachments |
US6275848B1 (en) | 1997-05-21 | 2001-08-14 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and apparatus for automated referencing of electronic information |
US20010029531A1 (en) * | 2000-03-10 | 2001-10-11 | Yasutoshi Ohta | Wireless remote printing system and method |
US20020129118A1 (en) | 2001-03-12 | 2002-09-12 | Cherry Darrel D. | Mobile remote printing systems |
US6453129B1 (en) | 2001-03-23 | 2002-09-17 | Hewlett-Packard Company | System and method for providing job assurance |
US20020194228A1 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2002-12-19 | Lainye Reich | System and method for automated rendering to print to a file |
US20020191206A1 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2002-12-19 | Anderson Jeff M. | Rendering broker service and method |
US20020194307A1 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2002-12-19 | Anderson Jeff M. | System and method for remote document retrieval |
US6515988B1 (en) * | 1997-07-21 | 2003-02-04 | Xerox Corporation | Token-based document transactions |
US6522421B2 (en) | 1998-10-28 | 2003-02-18 | Nexpress Solutions Llc | Method and apparatus for automatically communicating returning status and information from a printer using electronic mail (email). |
US20030067624A1 (en) * | 2001-10-10 | 2003-04-10 | Anderson Jeff M. | System and method for mobile printing |
US6604140B1 (en) * | 1999-03-31 | 2003-08-05 | International Business Machines Corporation | Service framework for computing devices |
US6629481B1 (en) * | 1997-11-06 | 2003-10-07 | Isoteck Corporation | Apparatus and process for manufacturing a valance |
US6665712B2 (en) * | 2002-01-30 | 2003-12-16 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for locating an output device |
US6694354B1 (en) * | 1998-11-30 | 2004-02-17 | Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) | Host computer access to peripheral device drivers |
US6701361B1 (en) * | 1996-08-22 | 2004-03-02 | Intermec Ip Corp. | Enhanced mobility and address resolution in a wireless premises based network |
US6732176B1 (en) * | 1999-11-03 | 2004-05-04 | Wayport, Inc. | Distributed network communication system which enables multiple network providers to use a common distributed network infrastructure |
US6738841B1 (en) * | 1996-02-09 | 2004-05-18 | Ricoh Co., Ltd. | Method and apparatus for processing document requests at a printer server |
US6744528B2 (en) * | 2000-11-30 | 2004-06-01 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | Method and system for remote printing of documents |
US20040139229A1 (en) * | 2001-07-16 | 2004-07-15 | Carsten Mickeleit | Method for outputting content from the internet or an intranet |
US6799208B1 (en) * | 2000-05-02 | 2004-09-28 | Microsoft Corporation | Resource manager architecture |
US6867874B1 (en) | 1998-11-27 | 2005-03-15 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Direct server-accessing printer and control method thereof |
US6892251B2 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2005-05-10 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for walk-up printing |
US6901446B2 (en) * | 2001-02-28 | 2005-05-31 | Microsoft Corp. | System and method for describing and automatically managing resources |
US6909518B2 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2005-06-21 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for configuring a printing system |
US6922725B2 (en) * | 2001-09-07 | 2005-07-26 | Xerox Corporation | Method and apparatus for processing document service requests originating from a mobile computing device |
US6928462B2 (en) | 2001-03-06 | 2005-08-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for distributed processing of non-processable elements of a document to be rendered on a client |
US6941356B2 (en) * | 2001-06-29 | 2005-09-06 | International Business Machines Corporation | Automated configuration enabled via interrogation over network |
US6944868B2 (en) | 2001-08-08 | 2005-09-13 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Imaging extension API for isolating web content from user resources and services |
US6961762B1 (en) * | 2000-02-14 | 2005-11-01 | Sygate Technologies, Inc. | Automatic switching network points based on configuration profiles |
US6970927B1 (en) * | 2000-04-18 | 2005-11-29 | Wayport, Inc. | Distributed network communication system which provides different network access features |
US6975419B2 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2005-12-13 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for mobile printing |
US6996614B2 (en) * | 1999-12-03 | 2006-02-07 | International Business Machines Corporation | Resource allocation in data processing systems |
US7028102B1 (en) | 1999-12-13 | 2006-04-11 | Axis, Ab | Method and system for presenting information |
US7032222B1 (en) * | 2000-10-13 | 2006-04-18 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Method and system for determining resource allocation to users by granting request based on user associated different limits and resource limit |
US7038796B1 (en) | 1999-06-07 | 2006-05-02 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Document delivery system for automatically printing a document on a printing device |
US7038799B2 (en) | 1999-06-07 | 2006-05-02 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Document delivery system for automatically printing a document on a printing device |
US7058685B1 (en) | 2000-10-23 | 2006-06-06 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Validation and audit of e-media delivery |
US7065497B1 (en) | 1999-06-07 | 2006-06-20 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Document delivery system for automatically printing a document on a printing device |
US7079276B2 (en) | 2002-02-22 | 2006-07-18 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Print system, print data management system and printer |
US7190476B2 (en) | 2001-06-29 | 2007-03-13 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Print by reference service communication protocol and interface |
US7196803B1 (en) | 2000-11-13 | 2007-03-27 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for printing to a printer without the use of a print driver |
US7200748B2 (en) | 2001-12-18 | 2007-04-03 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | E-mail printer and e-mail printing method having authentication procedure |
US7218406B2 (en) | 2001-03-21 | 2007-05-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Mailbox printing services for information appliances |
US7382473B2 (en) | 2001-03-09 | 2008-06-03 | Infoprint Solutions Company, Llc | Program and method of print instruction for printer with PDF direct printing function |
US7385718B2 (en) | 2001-06-29 | 2008-06-10 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Print by reference method for portable wireless devices |
US7424509B2 (en) | 2001-06-04 | 2008-09-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for printing from a web application |
US7656545B1 (en) | 2000-11-13 | 2010-02-02 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for dynamically providing printing status |
US8027049B2 (en) | 2001-12-04 | 2011-09-27 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Remote e-mail printing |
US8699053B2 (en) | 2002-01-24 | 2014-04-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for mobile printing from a desktop operating system using a portable computing device |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
ATE251779T1 (en) * | 1996-03-01 | 2003-10-15 | Fmr Corp | PRINTING IN OPEN SYSTEMS |
JP3320342B2 (en) * | 1997-09-12 | 2002-09-03 | インターナショナル・ビジネス・マシーンズ・コーポレーション | Method for causing printer system to execute printing, print execution method, computer, and printer system |
US6446208B1 (en) * | 1998-09-10 | 2002-09-03 | Xerox Corporation | User interface system based on sequentially read electronic tags |
US6628415B2 (en) * | 1999-07-20 | 2003-09-30 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Remote plug-and-play for home printer via cable network |
US6856416B1 (en) * | 1999-11-03 | 2005-02-15 | Toshiba Tech Corporation | Dynamic load balancing for a tandem printing system |
US7088462B2 (en) * | 2001-06-29 | 2006-08-08 | International Business Machines Corporation | Print manager having a user interface for specifying how documents are directed to print devices |
US7171468B2 (en) * | 2001-11-10 | 2007-01-30 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | System and method for accessing a document management repository |
US20030101342A1 (en) * | 2001-11-29 | 2003-05-29 | Hansen Von L. | Secure printing system and method |
US6943905B2 (en) * | 2001-12-20 | 2005-09-13 | Sharp Laboratories Of America, Inc. | Virtual print driver system and method |
US7400425B2 (en) * | 2002-04-16 | 2008-07-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for facilitating network printing |
-
2002
- 2002-07-15 US US10/195,877 patent/US8886701B1/en active Active
-
2014
- 2014-11-07 US US14/536,366 patent/US20150067022A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (87)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5283887A (en) | 1990-12-19 | 1994-02-01 | Bull Hn Information Systems Inc. | Automatic document format conversion in an electronic mail system based upon user preference |
US5436960A (en) | 1991-05-20 | 1995-07-25 | Campana, Jr.; Thomas J. | Electronic mail system with RF communications to mobile processors and method of operation thereof |
JPH0677994A (en) | 1992-08-28 | 1994-03-18 | Fuji Xerox Co Ltd | Network corresponding print processing system |
US5418908A (en) | 1992-10-15 | 1995-05-23 | International Business Machines Corporation | System for automatically establishing a link between an electronic mail item and a remotely stored reference through a place mark inserted into the item |
US5406557A (en) | 1993-02-01 | 1995-04-11 | National Semiconductor Corporation | Interenterprise electronic mail hub |
US6144997A (en) * | 1994-06-27 | 2000-11-07 | Xerox Corporation | System and method for accessing and distributing electronic documents |
US5937162A (en) | 1995-04-06 | 1999-08-10 | Exactis.Com, Inc. | Method and apparatus for high volume e-mail delivery |
EP0772327A2 (en) | 1995-11-06 | 1997-05-07 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Electronic mail forwarding system |
US5958006A (en) | 1995-11-13 | 1999-09-28 | Motorola, Inc. | Method and apparatus for communicating summarized data |
US5781901A (en) | 1995-12-21 | 1998-07-14 | Intel Corporation | Transmitting electronic mail attachment over a network using a e-mail page |
US5903723A (en) | 1995-12-21 | 1999-05-11 | Intel Corporation | Method and apparatus for transmitting electronic mail attachments with attachment references |
US6738841B1 (en) * | 1996-02-09 | 2004-05-18 | Ricoh Co., Ltd. | Method and apparatus for processing document requests at a printer server |
US6035104A (en) | 1996-06-28 | 2000-03-07 | Data Link Systems Corp. | Method and apparatus for managing electronic documents by alerting a subscriber at a destination other than the primary destination |
US6701361B1 (en) * | 1996-08-22 | 2004-03-02 | Intermec Ip Corp. | Enhanced mobility and address resolution in a wireless premises based network |
US5838252A (en) | 1996-09-09 | 1998-11-17 | Datalink Systems, Inc. | Interactive two-way pager systems |
US5905777A (en) | 1996-09-27 | 1999-05-18 | At&T Corp. | E-mail paging system |
US5978837A (en) | 1996-09-27 | 1999-11-02 | At&T Corp. | Intelligent pager for remotely managing E-Mail messages |
EP0855821A1 (en) | 1997-01-16 | 1998-07-29 | AT&T Corp. | Methods and apparatus for providing universal readability of electronic mail attachments |
US5995597A (en) | 1997-01-21 | 1999-11-30 | Woltz; Robert Thomas | E-mail processing system and method |
US5844969A (en) | 1997-01-23 | 1998-12-01 | At&T Corp. | Communication system, method and device for remotely re-transmitting received electronic mail directed to a destination terminal to a new destination terminal |
US5964833A (en) | 1997-02-07 | 1999-10-12 | Datalink Systems Corp. | Pager enhanced keyboard and system |
EP0864964A2 (en) | 1997-03-13 | 1998-09-16 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Printer driver switching in windows operating systems |
US6182059B1 (en) | 1997-04-03 | 2001-01-30 | Brightware, Inc. | Automatic electronic message interpretation and routing system |
EP0872792A2 (en) | 1997-04-17 | 1998-10-21 | Adobe Systems, Inc. | Network communication with printing systems |
US5974449A (en) | 1997-05-09 | 1999-10-26 | Carmel Connection, Inc. | Apparatus and method for providing multimedia messaging between disparate messaging platforms |
US6160631A (en) | 1997-05-14 | 2000-12-12 | Brother Kogya Kabushiki Kaisha | Printing system |
US6275848B1 (en) | 1997-05-21 | 2001-08-14 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and apparatus for automated referencing of electronic information |
US6195677B1 (en) * | 1997-06-03 | 2001-02-27 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Distributed network computing system for data exchange/conversion between terminals |
US6023700A (en) | 1997-06-17 | 2000-02-08 | Cranberry Properties, Llc | Electronic mail distribution system for integrated electronic communication |
US6515988B1 (en) * | 1997-07-21 | 2003-02-04 | Xerox Corporation | Token-based document transactions |
US6073165A (en) | 1997-07-29 | 2000-06-06 | Jfax Communications, Inc. | Filtering computer network messages directed to a user's e-mail box based on user defined filters, and forwarding a filtered message to the user's receiver |
EP0898410A2 (en) | 1997-08-21 | 1999-02-24 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image communication system using electronic mail and control method therefor |
US6230200B1 (en) * | 1997-09-08 | 2001-05-08 | Emc Corporation | Dynamic modeling for resource allocation in a file server |
US6629481B1 (en) * | 1997-11-06 | 2003-10-07 | Isoteck Corporation | Apparatus and process for manufacturing a valance |
US6201611B1 (en) * | 1997-11-19 | 2001-03-13 | International Business Machines Corporation | Providing local printing on a thin client |
EP0950969A2 (en) | 1998-04-17 | 1999-10-20 | Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc. | Method and system for out-tasking conversions of message attachments |
US6219694B1 (en) | 1998-05-29 | 2001-04-17 | Research In Motion Limited | System and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device having a shared electronic address |
EP0965908A2 (en) | 1998-06-19 | 1999-12-22 | Nec Corporation | Printer controller |
US6256666B1 (en) | 1998-07-14 | 2001-07-03 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and system for remotely managing electronic mail attachments |
US6522421B2 (en) | 1998-10-28 | 2003-02-18 | Nexpress Solutions Llc | Method and apparatus for automatically communicating returning status and information from a printer using electronic mail (email). |
US6867874B1 (en) | 1998-11-27 | 2005-03-15 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Direct server-accessing printer and control method thereof |
US6694354B1 (en) * | 1998-11-30 | 2004-02-17 | Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) | Host computer access to peripheral device drivers |
US6604140B1 (en) * | 1999-03-31 | 2003-08-05 | International Business Machines Corporation | Service framework for computing devices |
US7038799B2 (en) | 1999-06-07 | 2006-05-02 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Document delivery system for automatically printing a document on a printing device |
US7065497B1 (en) | 1999-06-07 | 2006-06-20 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Document delivery system for automatically printing a document on a printing device |
US7038796B1 (en) | 1999-06-07 | 2006-05-02 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Document delivery system for automatically printing a document on a printing device |
JP2001084191A (en) | 1999-09-14 | 2001-03-30 | Fuji Xerox Co Ltd | Method and device for supporting document output |
US6360252B1 (en) | 1999-09-20 | 2002-03-19 | Fusionone, Inc. | Managing the transfer of e-mail attachments to rendering devices other than an original e-mail recipient |
WO2001022259A2 (en) | 1999-09-20 | 2001-03-29 | Fusionone, Inc. | Transferring e-mail attachments to devices for rendering |
EP1089543A1 (en) | 1999-09-29 | 2001-04-04 | Sagem S.A. | Simplified facsimile for the internet |
US6732176B1 (en) * | 1999-11-03 | 2004-05-04 | Wayport, Inc. | Distributed network communication system which enables multiple network providers to use a common distributed network infrastructure |
US6996614B2 (en) * | 1999-12-03 | 2006-02-07 | International Business Machines Corporation | Resource allocation in data processing systems |
US7028102B1 (en) | 1999-12-13 | 2006-04-11 | Axis, Ab | Method and system for presenting information |
US6961762B1 (en) * | 2000-02-14 | 2005-11-01 | Sygate Technologies, Inc. | Automatic switching network points based on configuration profiles |
US20010029531A1 (en) * | 2000-03-10 | 2001-10-11 | Yasutoshi Ohta | Wireless remote printing system and method |
US6970927B1 (en) * | 2000-04-18 | 2005-11-29 | Wayport, Inc. | Distributed network communication system which provides different network access features |
US6799208B1 (en) * | 2000-05-02 | 2004-09-28 | Microsoft Corporation | Resource manager architecture |
US7032222B1 (en) * | 2000-10-13 | 2006-04-18 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Method and system for determining resource allocation to users by granting request based on user associated different limits and resource limit |
US7058685B1 (en) | 2000-10-23 | 2006-06-06 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Validation and audit of e-media delivery |
US7656545B1 (en) | 2000-11-13 | 2010-02-02 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for dynamically providing printing status |
US7196803B1 (en) | 2000-11-13 | 2007-03-27 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for printing to a printer without the use of a print driver |
US6744528B2 (en) * | 2000-11-30 | 2004-06-01 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | Method and system for remote printing of documents |
US6901446B2 (en) * | 2001-02-28 | 2005-05-31 | Microsoft Corp. | System and method for describing and automatically managing resources |
US6928462B2 (en) | 2001-03-06 | 2005-08-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for distributed processing of non-processable elements of a document to be rendered on a client |
US7382473B2 (en) | 2001-03-09 | 2008-06-03 | Infoprint Solutions Company, Llc | Program and method of print instruction for printer with PDF direct printing function |
US20020129118A1 (en) | 2001-03-12 | 2002-09-12 | Cherry Darrel D. | Mobile remote printing systems |
US7218406B2 (en) | 2001-03-21 | 2007-05-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Mailbox printing services for information appliances |
US6453129B1 (en) | 2001-03-23 | 2002-09-17 | Hewlett-Packard Company | System and method for providing job assurance |
US7424509B2 (en) | 2001-06-04 | 2008-09-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for printing from a web application |
US20020194228A1 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2002-12-19 | Lainye Reich | System and method for automated rendering to print to a file |
US6892251B2 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2005-05-10 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for walk-up printing |
US20020191206A1 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2002-12-19 | Anderson Jeff M. | Rendering broker service and method |
US20020194307A1 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2002-12-19 | Anderson Jeff M. | System and method for remote document retrieval |
US6975419B2 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2005-12-13 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for mobile printing |
US6909518B2 (en) | 2001-06-18 | 2005-06-21 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for configuring a printing system |
US7385718B2 (en) | 2001-06-29 | 2008-06-10 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Print by reference method for portable wireless devices |
US7190476B2 (en) | 2001-06-29 | 2007-03-13 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Print by reference service communication protocol and interface |
US6941356B2 (en) * | 2001-06-29 | 2005-09-06 | International Business Machines Corporation | Automated configuration enabled via interrogation over network |
US20040139229A1 (en) * | 2001-07-16 | 2004-07-15 | Carsten Mickeleit | Method for outputting content from the internet or an intranet |
US6944868B2 (en) | 2001-08-08 | 2005-09-13 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Imaging extension API for isolating web content from user resources and services |
US6922725B2 (en) * | 2001-09-07 | 2005-07-26 | Xerox Corporation | Method and apparatus for processing document service requests originating from a mobile computing device |
US20030067624A1 (en) * | 2001-10-10 | 2003-04-10 | Anderson Jeff M. | System and method for mobile printing |
US8027049B2 (en) | 2001-12-04 | 2011-09-27 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Remote e-mail printing |
US7200748B2 (en) | 2001-12-18 | 2007-04-03 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | E-mail printer and e-mail printing method having authentication procedure |
US8699053B2 (en) | 2002-01-24 | 2014-04-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for mobile printing from a desktop operating system using a portable computing device |
US6665712B2 (en) * | 2002-01-30 | 2003-12-16 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method for locating an output device |
US7079276B2 (en) | 2002-02-22 | 2006-07-18 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Print system, print data management system and printer |
Non-Patent Citations (6)
Title |
---|
Behnam Mehmanpazir, United States Patent Application entitled "Method and System for Printing From An IP Network," U.S. Appl. No. 09/697,990, filed Oct. 27, 2000. |
Behnarn Mehalanpazir, United States Patent Application entitled "Method and System For Printing From an IP Network," U.S. Appl. No. 09/697,990, filed Oct. 27, 2000. |
International Preliminary Examination Report, issued in PCT Application No. PCT/US2001/048767, May 18, 2006, 3 pages. |
International Preliminary Examining Authority, Written Opinion issued in PCT Application No. PCT/US2001/048767, Jan. 27, 2006, 4 pages. |
International Search Report issued in PCT Application No. PCT/US2001/048767, Oct. 29, 2002, 3 pages. |
Taylor, K. et al., United States Patent Application entitled "Limited Printing of Electronically Transmitted Information," U.S. Appl. No. 09/546,059, filed Apr. 10, 2000. |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2017172651A1 (en) * | 2016-03-30 | 2017-10-05 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Selecting an autonomous software agent |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20150067022A1 (en) | 2015-03-05 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20150067022A1 (en) | Network based software agent to allow dynamic resource access | |
US8064366B2 (en) | Apparatus for discovering devices in a wireless network | |
US8005952B2 (en) | Method for intelligently selecting wireless access point | |
JP5882353B2 (en) | Method and system for multi-connection in a file system session | |
JP4727730B2 (en) | Discovery of proximity services in wireless networks | |
US9503957B2 (en) | Low cost mesh network capability | |
US7577111B2 (en) | Method and system for wireless interfacing of electronic devices | |
US6829662B2 (en) | Dynamically optimizing the tuning of sockets across indeterminate environments | |
US8789070B2 (en) | Local device virtualization | |
EP2107762B1 (en) | Session management system and method of controlling the same | |
US7299490B2 (en) | Portable wireless device and software for printing by reference | |
EP2428868A2 (en) | Network service system, service proxy processing method, computer-readable storage medium storing program, and program therefor | |
US20040167974A1 (en) | Exposing mobile-enterprise printers using a universal plug and play proxy | |
US20020178365A1 (en) | Method and system for controlling access to network resources based on connection security | |
US20070133548A1 (en) | Transmission apparatus having a plurality of network interfaces and transmission method using the same | |
US9591081B2 (en) | Virtual desktop access using wireless devices | |
CN101194489A (en) | Information processing server, remote control system, and remote control method | |
JP2004086895A (en) | System and method for enabling components on arbitrary networks to communicate | |
WO2013191842A1 (en) | Clientless cloud computing | |
US9535638B2 (en) | Directly transferring data between devices | |
US8116285B1 (en) | Intelligent wireless access point selection | |
US20050135269A1 (en) | Automatic configuration of a virtual private network | |
EP2244442A1 (en) | Service discovery protocol enhancement | |
US6401123B1 (en) | Systems, methods and computer program products for employing presumptive negotiation in a data communications protocol | |
US20050096027A1 (en) | Communication environment setting method and communication environment setting program |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: 3COM CORPORATION, CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SUBBIAH, BARANI;REEL/FRAME:013421/0170 Effective date: 20020708 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, CALIFORNIA Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:3COM CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:024630/0820 Effective date: 20100428 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, CALIFORNIA Free format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE SEE ATTACHED;ASSIGNOR:3COM CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:025039/0844 Effective date: 20100428 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., TEXAS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:027329/0001 Effective date: 20030131 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., TEXAS Free format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT PREVIUOSLY RECORDED ON REEL 027329 FRAME 0001 AND 0044;ASSIGNOR:HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:028911/0846 Effective date: 20111010 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
MAFP | Maintenance fee payment |
Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 4TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1551) Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
MAFP | Maintenance fee payment |
Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 8TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1552); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Year of fee payment: 8 |